TUF2 winner & twelve year MMA veteran Joe "Daddy" Stevenson (31-13-0) will not be cut immediately following his third straight loss in the UFC. Stevenson has also been a longtime UFC veteran since winning TUF2 as a welterweight close to six years ago as he won an entertaining bout against Luke Cummo that smoe fans compared to Griffin vs Bonnar from the first TUF finale.
Since winning TUF2 in his weight class as a welterweight, Stevenson has posted a 8-7 record while fighting in the UFC having fought the last thirteen bouts of his career in the lightweight division. The highest level fight in Stevenson's career was without a doubt his one & only title shot against BJ Penn for the vacant 155lb title after Sean Sherk had been stripped of the belt. That bout would become one of the bloodiest shows in UFC history as Penn would open a cut on the head of Stevenson in Rnd1 that continuously bled throughout the fight. Rnd2 did not make it to the end of the round as Penn would get the fight to the ground & sink in the fight ending RNC as Stevenson's face was drenched with his own blood. The second highest level fight could be his Fight of the Night performance against TUF1 winner Diego Sanchez as one of the most entertaining lightweight bouts of 2009. The loss to Sanchez put Stevenson at two in a row, which he bounced back from with another Fight of the Night performance & win of TUF5 winner Nate Diaz, then a Rnd2 Submission win over Spencer Fisher. While having momentum, Stevenson began a decline as he faced BJJ ace & contender George Sotiropoulos & loss by Unanimous Decision being dominated on the ground. The second loss came as he was a heavy favorite against TUF6 winner Mac Danzig. While pushing forward aggressively & looking to finish with a KO, Danzig caught Stevenson with a powerful punch that knocked him out cold & made his record when going against fellow TUF winners 1-2. Stevenson's third & most recent loss came at the hands of WEC veteran Danny Castillo on the undercard of a VersusTV event. Stevenson looked strong & seemed to have returned to his old ways in the first round, but the next two rounds saw him fade & unfortunately lose by Unanimous Decision. Many considered this third loss to be the last chance for Stevenson to revive his dwindling record & possibly be the third TUF winner in UFC history to be released from the promotion following TUF4 Middleweight winner Travis Lutter & TUF8 Lightweight winner Efrain Escudero.
To the surprise of many, Stevenson will not be released from the UFC & will be given one more chance as he makes a drastic change having decided to drop down in weight to compete at 145lbs. Stevenson now follows two other UFC lightweights who have decided to drop down in weight alongside TUF1 runner-up & longtime 155lb contender Kenny Florian, & longtime gate keeper to the top ten of the 155lb division Tyson Griffin. Stevenson is tentatively scheduled to face Javier Vazquez (15-5-0) in his featherweight debut on the undercard of the upcoming UFC on Versus 4 event on June 26. If he can safely cut down to the 145lb maximum for this fight, Stevenson could have a significant strength advantage that could be a key factor for him to earn a victory & save his career. Stevenson has been a longtime fan favorite being able to finish a fight whether standing or grappling, & will have much fan support as he will be fighting with his career on the line.
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